Books to Read

If you want to learn more about what the area surrounding the lake was like before there was a Lake Whitney, consider reading “Goodbye to a River” by John Graves. It was first published in 1959, and describes John’s final canoe trip down the Brazos River in the autumn of 1957.

The trip starts at the first dam built on the Brazos, Possum Kingdom, and ends near where Lake Whitney was soon to be formed. It is an account of the people and the land surrounding the portion of the river just north of the lake.

This memoir chronicles the life of James Buckner Barry, who joined the newly formed Texas Rangers in 1845. Later, he settled in Bosque County, and confronted the daily perils of ranching. As a peace officer and a legislator, “he served his people well even to the neglect of his private advantage”, according to the editor.

Originally published in 1986, this book’s first section is titled “The Fort Graham Affair”. Fort Graham was established locally in 1849, and then abandoned in 1853, after settlements had been made further west.

You can find this book in the Reference section at the Lake Whitney Public Library.

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